Boot or shoe.



0. LEE.

BOOT 0R SHOE.

PPLICATION man w LY29. I915.

Patented Mar. 21,1916.

CLIFFORD LEE, ,0]? NAUGATUCK, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE GOODYEAR/S METALLIC RUBBER SHOE (10., A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

Boo'r 0R SHOE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 29, 1915. Serial No. 42,503.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, CLIFFORD LEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Naugatuck, county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boots or Shoes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to boots and shoes, and more specifically to shoes, either of the all-rubber type or a type embodying a rubber sole and canvas upper. As at present constructed, a shoe sole which includes rubber is not sufficiently rigid at all points to permit of a shock being distributed over a great area without uncomfortable distortion. For instance, when the foot is planted upon an obstruction, such as a pebble, stone or the like, the sole when formed in part of rubber, will partly absorb said obstruction? That is, it will partake of the configuration of the obstruction, thereby causing an uncomfortable hump or bulge in the sole.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome such distortion and I accomplish this by building into the sole a layer of relatively stiff and comparatively unyielding material which will not conform readily to the configuration of obstructions upon which the shoe may be planted, but on the contrary will serve to resist such distortion and thereby distribute the shock of contact, as well as the above described absorption feature over a large area so that the effects thereof are practically not noticeable to the wearer.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel details of construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the appendedclaims, it being understood that various modifications may be madagwithout departing from the scope, or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention. v

The invention will be readily understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a shoe embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the distortion-resisting layer showing the serrated surfaces-which promote better union with the contiguous parts of the sole. Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the distortion resisting layer.

Referring now to the drawings, a tennis shoe is shown embodying a fabric upper 10 and a sole 11, the latter embodying an insole 12, preferably of leather, an inner filler 13, preferably of rag stock, a stiffening layer 14, preferably of fiber board, which will be hereinafter more fully described, and an outsole 15 of rubber.

In constructing the shoe, the upper 10 is placed upon a last and its edges are then turned over the insole 12 upon the last and cemented to the insole. The inner filler 13 is then cemented to the insole and extends flush with the inner edges of the inturned margins of the upper, as shown. The stiflening layer 14 is then applied and extends over both the inner filler and the inturned edges of the upper. The outsole 15 is then applied to the stiffening layer, the outsole having as usual a foxing 15 which is turned upwardly over the upper, as shown, and seals the joints between the insolefinner filler and stiffening layer, watertight. The various parts mentioned may be cemented or otherwise secured together.

As best shown in Fig. 3 both surfaces of the stiffening layer 14 are roughened, or serrated. These serrations penetrate the comparatively soft faces of the contiguous rag stock inner filler 13 and rubber sole 15, thereby forming interlocking means between the parts mentioned, which means co-act with the cement or other adhesive used in joining the parts to effect a most complete or perfect union between the parts.

The stiffening layer 14 is preferably formed of a particular material known in the trade as fiber board which has the physical characteristics of'comparative stiff ness and rigidity, combined with sufficient flexibility when used as a layer of great superficial area compared to its cross-dimension or thiclmess in a shoe, to bend and conform readily to the movements of the wearers foot. To further identify this material I may say that it is used extensively in the electrical industry as an insulator and is great pressure in the pres The fiber board stiffening layer 14; above described, while being light and strong, is more particularly advantageous for the use specified because of its unwillingness to absorb or partake of the configuration of'hard obstacles which under ordinary circumstances would distort and bow in a rubber sole, or even a thin leather sole, to such a degree as to be uncomfortable to the wearer.

By this resistance to distortion, the shock ofimpact with hard obstacles is distributed throughout the wide area of the fiber board stifl'ening layer, which function in connection with the above described resistance to distortion, renders a shoe embodying this material more comfortable to the wearer than shoes lacking this reinforcement.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a boot or shoe, a sole comprising an insole, a filler, an outsole, and a fiber board stiffening layer between the filler and outsole.

having rough faces engaging'the material 35 of said filler and said outsole.

Signed at Naugatuck, Conn., July 24, 1915.

CLIFFORD LEE. 

